So many times in life I look at where I am and wonder out loud, “How did I get here?” I can’t help but look inside myself and see that, on my own, I would never be doing this. If left to my own devises, I wouldn’t be doing what I do. If I listened to all of the advice around me I wold have missed it more than I got it.
A few months ago I ran into a friend while I was at work. We started talking and I told him that I was leaving my job in two days so I could move to Joplin, MO to help with tornado relief. He caught me a little off guard when he asked, “Don’t most people there have insurance to cover the cleanup? Why do you want to do it for them?” To tell the truth, this response hurt a little, then I realized that what God puts on my heart is not necessarily what He puts on other people’s hearts. What seems so unquestionably God to me may seem totally nuts to someone else.
I remember the first time I saw this. I was meeting with my pastor about an important business decision I had to make. During the course of the conversation we got onto the topic of what I wanted to do long term; basically what I had in mind for the next ten years. I told him that I planned to preach the Gospel around the world. His response caught me off guard. It set me back a moment. He said, “You do realize that that is not normal? I mean, people generally don’t want to do that.” I had no idea. I honestly though that everyone who knew what I knew about Jesus wanted to do what I wanted to do.
What I have learned to this point is that I need to know before anyone asks, “Are you sure?” that I am, in fact, sure. Another thing that I have learned is that even if I am sure, it is still very wise not to share with everybody. Inevitably there is someone out there that is not going to be as excited as I am about what I am about to do. Usually this is someone who a little more in the box than what they would like us to think they are, or they have an issue with everything that I plan to do. Regardless of the reason, they end up being like David’s brothers when he decided to fight Goliath. They started to back talk him and put him down. Or they are like Joseph’s brothers who put him in a hole and sold him into slavery so he couldn’t fulfill his dreams.
Maybe you’ve experienced this, or maybe your in denial, but the fact remains, you cannot let it get you down. You cannot let people see things from their limited prospective and try to convince you otherwise, no matter how pure their intentions may be. My friend’s genuine concern was for my well being and whether I would be taken care of or not. The truth be told, I did better with monthly income in these two months than I had in the previous months with a full time job.
In the end, it is more important for you to be sure with God than it is to be popular with your friends. God has the plan for your life, and He has the means to provide for that plan. Your job, and mine, is to trust Him enough to give Him a fair chance to prove it. Our lives will fair better in the hands of a loving God than they do in the hands of our friends.
1 thought on “Are You Sure?”
It is men like you who make this world a better place. If you look at the caliber of men in this world, most are between .22 & .380, your more like Holy Spirit filled .50! Having you and Dara together… it’s kinda like a round shot from an M1 Abram.
P.S. you misspelled “wold”